JACKSON, Wyo. — Monday night just got a lot more exciting.
The northern lights are expected to put on a strong showing over the northern U.S. and Canada on the evening of Monday, Jan. 19, according to a forecast by NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center.
NOAA predicts “G3-G4 (Strong-Severe) geomagnetic storms … due to the anticipated arrival of a halo [coronal mass ejection] that left the Sun on 18 Jan.” Coronal mass ejections are large clouds of plasma and magnetic fields emitted by the Sun. When that plasma interacts with the upper levels of the earth’s atmosphere, different colors appear to dance in the sky.
The Kp index has the potential to reach level 8 over the next 24 hours, which might make the northern lights visible as far south as Wyoming. Derived from the German “Planetarische Kennziffer,” or planetary index, the Kp scale runs from 0 to 9.
As explained by Wyoming Stargazing, the Kp index “measures the disruption of the horizontal distribution of the geomagnetic activity… A 4 would push them down into southern Canada, while a 5, in the right conditions, might just barely be visible on the northern horizon here in Jackson Hole. To see them well, we typically need at least a 6.”
The National Weather Service forecasts clear skies over Jackson Hole tonight. To view the aurora, head to a very dark place away from light pollution, and allow the eyes to adjust, which could take 15 to 30 minutes. Turn to the north-northeast and look at the horizon.
Jackson was treated to a beautiful aurora display in November, as witnessed by numerous Buckrail readers and local fauna.
